Washington (CNN) - Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson filed a $60 million libel suit Wednesday against the National Jewish Democratic Council and its top officers, charging the group with falsely claiming he approved of prostitution at casinos his company, Las Vegas Sands Corp., owns in Macau.

The suit cites a July article posted on the NJDC website, titled "Tell Romney to Reject Adelson's Dirty Money" that claimed Adelson, a top donor to conservative super PACs, reportedly approved of prostitution. Adelson has denied the claims and in the document demanded a jury trial in addition to the $60 million sum and printed retractions.FULL POST

CNN's POLITICAL GUT CHECK | for August 8, 2012 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING … OBAMA, ROMNEY AGREE OVER BOY SCOUTS: President Obama joined Mitt Romney in opposing discrimination by the Boy Scouts of America against gay Scouts. White House spokesperson Shin Inouye tells CNN’s Jessica Yellin: “The President believes the Boy Scouts is a valuable organization that has helped educate and build character in American boys for more than a century. He also opposes discrimination in all forms, and as such opposes this policy that discriminates on basis of sexual orientation.” Mitt Romney said in a 1994 debate in the state of Massachusetts that "I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue. I feel that all people should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation."

(CNN) - Mitt Romney's motorcade got a warm welcome Wednesday from a Jewish wedding party in New Jersey.

As the presumptive GOP nominee pulled up to the site of his fund-raising event in Lakewood Township, a family posing outside for photos abandoned the bride and groom and darted for Romney's car in the parking lot, cameras in hand.FULL POST

(CNN) - The House Democratic campaign arm on Wednesday announced 13 new races have been added to their "Red to Blue" program, a part of the committee's "Drive to 25" campaign to win back control of the House of Representatives.

With the additional candidates, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is now looking at 51 races they consider up for grabs.FULL POST

(CNN) – A spokeswoman for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign heralded the health care law Romney passed in Massachusetts, using the law to respond Wednesday to a super PAC ad that appears to blame the presumptive GOP nominee for the loss of insurance and eventual death of a laid off steel worker's wife.

"If people had been in Massachusetts, under Gov. Romney's health care plan, they would have had health care," Andrea Saul said on Fox News. "There are a lot of people losing their jobs and losing their health care in President Obama's economy."FULL POST

(CNN) – They're not on most people's short lists, but Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Speaker Newt Gingrich would make excellent choices for Mitt Romney's running mate, a spokeswoman for President Barack Obama joked Wednesday.

"We all think Newt Gingrich or Michele Bachmann would be an excellent choice for Mitt Romney to choose," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said aboard Air Force One as the president traveled to a campaign stop in Colorado.FULL POST

Yellow Spring, Ohio (CNN) - Tim Pawlenty remembers the late nights in 2008, working with his wife, Mary, to pull together all the documents John McCain's campaign requested as it vetted potential running mates.

"No staff. Only us," Pawlenty wrote in his book, "Courage to Stand." "I remember the two of us joking one night at some inhumane hour, 'No way Mitt Romney is doing this by himself.' "

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Mitt Romney hammered President Barack Obama Wednesday over his administration's changes to welfare, despite calls from Democrats that the Republican White House hopeful is distorting the president's position on the issue.

For the second day in a row, Romney continued to highlight - in ads, web videos and speeches - how when President Bill Clinton signed the bipartisan welfare reform bill into law in 1996, then-Illinois State Senator Obama opposed it.FULL POST

(CNN) – Three months ahead of November's general election, races for the U.S. Senate are deadlocked in Virginia and Wisconsin, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Virginia's two candidates – former Governors Tim Kaine and George Allen – are statistically tied in their race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jim Webb. Kaine, a Democrat, stood at 48% in the Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll, while Allen, a Republican, was at 46%.FULL POST